


and the winner is...

by jenma



Category: Choices: Platinum (Visual Novel), Platinum (Visual Novel)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2020-09-23
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:29:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26614516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jenma/pseuds/jenma
Summary: raleigh and cadence continue to test the limits of their competition to see who is more fashionably late throughout their relationship.
Relationships: Raleigh Carrera/Main Character (Platinum)
Kudos: 2





	and the winner is...

**Author's Note:**

> copyright: all characters owned by pixelberry studios. song mentioned is “home” by gabriella aplin.  
> series/pairing: platinum – m!raleigh carrera x mc  
> rating/warnings: pg  
> word count: 2.4k

**_and the winner is…_ **

raleigh checked his phone for what seemed like the tenth time in the last hour. cadence hadn’t replied back since she told him she was running late 40 minutes ago. unlike raleigh, she prided herself for being fairly punctual, so being more than 20 minutes late to an event was a cardinal sin and just plain absurd. they were attending some a-lister’s tequila brand launch party and agreed to meet at the venue since cadence was busy with marketing details for the upcoming album.

a familiar pair of hands suddenly covered his eyes. “guess who?” he didn’t need to turn around to know that it was his stunning and breathtaking girlfriend of two years.

“you’re late, even for you,” he murmured into her ear as he let himself fall into her embrace.

“i think i’m just _very_ fashionably late. besides, i learned from the best,” she said, giving him a quick kiss before pulling back just as a waiter came by with a tray of drinks.

they both grabbed a glass of the featured tequila-based cocktail but not before raleigh gave her a knowing look, his eyebrow quirked and his smirk close to becoming an excited grin.

“i think that has us tied now. i guess i’ll have to up the ante at your album release party next week.”

cadence took a measured sip of her drink before giving him a flirty smile. “don’t. you. dare,” she said sweetly, but raleigh heard the threat underlying her tone.

it had become a game for them, fueled by their competitive streaks, occasionally tempered by their love for each other and not wanting to hurt each other. sometimes they alternated who showed up late to the award shows and event appearances but walked a more careful line for more personal events, like album release parties or concert afterparties.

unfortunately for cadence, raleigh was true to his word and told the group he’d “meet them at the party” the week after cadence’s album dropped. in just a week, she had three singles crack the top 10 list. her release party was at 10 circus again, despite fiona’s best attempts to convince cadence to keep things new. raleigh had given her the idea to celebrate how her success had come full circle since _the odyssey_ and she thought it was an appropriate sentiment for her third studio album. of course, she was currently distracted by the growing frustration at how much raleigh was pushing her patience. he was already half an hour late and that was after she made it clear that he was on thin ice. at this rate, she was going to have to perform without him there.

fiona finally gave her the signal that meant she couldn’t wait any longer and she took a deep breath, preparing herself to perform on the elevated stage. she grabbed her guitar and took a seat in front of the microphone, strumming a few chords to get the crowd’s attention.

“thank you to everyone who helped inspire, create, promote, and enjoy this album. this is ‘home’,” cadence said, looking out at the crowd with fondness at the familiar faces. all but one, of course.

“ _i’m a phoenix in the water, a fish that’s learned to fly_...” as cadence began singing, she didn’t notice raleigh sneak in from the back entrance.

he watched her perform from the side of the stage so he was out of her peripheral vision. he knew he was pushing his luck by making her think he was a no-show but he was putting the finishing touches on his surprise for cadence. as she neared the end of her song, raleigh carefully shuffled forward so he would be in her line of sight. as soon as she noticed, he gave her his trademark smirk and winked, enjoying the glare she gave him.

“ _as long as we’re together, does it matter where we go?_ ” cadence held the last note before humming along with the final chords. she waved and bowed to the crowd before walking off behind a makeshift paneled area next to the stage, where raleigh quickly caught up to her.

cadence just glared at him and attempted to walk around him. raleigh blocked her until she huffed and stopped in front of him, arms folded over her chest.

“i’m not in the mood to put up with you right now, raleigh. you missed my performance after i told you not to be late,” cadence said, trying to keep her tone even.

“i didn’t miss your performance, i promise – i was watching from the back. and i know i’m late but i have a very good reason, if you’ll humor me,” he said in his most apologetic tone, throwing in what he hoped was an irresistible smile.

it must’ve worked because cadence rolled her eyes but grabbed his hand, allowing him to lead her to the back of the club and up the employees only stairwell. cadence’s irritation at raleigh was replaced by curiosity as she followed raleigh up multiple flights of stairs, past the manager’s office and storage rooms, until they ended up on the roof. raleigh led her away from the doorway and cadence gasped – at least 50 candles created a path from the doorway to the opposite railing, their soft glow illuminating the otherwise dark roof.

as they walked toward the railing, cadence suddenly heard booming sounds and looked up to a fireworks show over the east river. she turned to raleigh, who was looking at her adoringly, but before she could say anything, he pulled her in front of him so that he could wrap his hands around her waist from behind.

“this is why i was late. i love you, cadence dorian,” he murmured into her ear as he watched the fireworks reflected in her eyes.

“alright, you’re forgiven. i love you too,” cadence whispered back, her eyes mesmerized by the fireworks show. “why did you do all this though?”

raleigh stayed silent and before cadence could question him further, her eyes widened as she noticed the “will you marry me, cadence?” spelled out in the sky by the fireworks in dazzling white. as she turned to face raleigh, he took a few steps back and bent down on one knee, holding out a small box with a large emerald-cut diamond ring nestled inside.

“cadence, when i first met you at the _one in a million_ audition, the _last_ thing i expected was to fall for you. but you continued to surprise me with your strength and courage in facing down this crazy industry without losing sight of the _real_ you. and every day i’m reminded that you choose to see the _real_ me and that made it so easy to fall in love with you. i never expected that i’d ever experience true, _real_ love in my life and now, i can’t imagine the rest of my life without you. cadence dorian, will you marry me?” raleigh took a deep breath and held cadence’s gaze, trying to make sure he conveyed as much emotion as he felt.

cadence’s hands flew to her mouth and tears started prickling the corner of her eyes. she had to blink rapidly and remind herself to focus on what raleigh was saying. in truth, she was shocked and overwhelmed. she was always reminding herself not to expect a long-term future with raleigh, since the likelihood of him settling down was low and she tried to just enjoy the present moment.

“cadence?” raleigh shifted anxiously as he waited for cadence to respond. it didn’t really occur to him until that moment that there could be a chance she said no.

cadence let out a laugh and nodded furiously. “of course i’ll marry you. i love you, raleigh,” she said enthusiastically, leaning in to give him a deep kiss.

raleigh pulled back and stood up, taking her left hand in his right so he could slide the large diamond ring on her finger, the cool band sliding down her finger reminding cadence that this wasn’t a dream. she wrapped her arms around raleigh’s neck, kissing him over and over again until she was breathless.

_1 year later_

raleigh closed the door behind him and took a step toward cadence, his hands tucked into the pockets of his gray suit.

“you know, it’s supposed to be bad luck to see the bride before the wedding,” cadence said, adjusting her veil as she smirked at raleigh’s reflection in the mirror.

raleigh didn’t say anything, but his casual smirked softened into a genuine smile as he approached her from behind. he slid his arms around her waist and gazed at her reflection in the mirror with adoration.

“it’s a good thing i’m not superstitious. you look breathtaking, _mrs. carrera_ ,” raleigh said, with genuine affection in his voice.

cadence tilted her head slightly so she could give him a kiss. raleigh immediately deepened it, coaxing her mouth open with his tongue, his hands tightening at her waist.

after a few moments, cadence gently pushed his chest back. “i’m not going to become mrs. carrera if you make us late to our own wedding!” she giggled as raleigh leaned in for one more kiss.

“we can’t have that, can we? i still have more points than you,” he smirked as he walked away.

cadence continued gazing at the door after raleigh walked through it, tapping her chin thoughtfully. _two can play at that game_ , she thought to herself as zadie walked in and immediately scolded her for smudging her lipstick. she stepped outside of the room with zadie, who adjusted her train once before heading inside the chapel, leaving cadence alone with her father.

“you ready?” he smiled gently at her and cadence almost considered being on time. key word being _almost_.

she heard the music soften that was supposed to be her cue. raleigh, his groomsmen, and her bridesmaids would be waiting at the altar, and her wedding planner would be standing by to cue the organist.

“not yet, i want to make him sweat a little,” cadence said with a mischievous smirk. her dad chuckled and she was grateful that he was going along with her little prank.

it didn’t take long before people came by to check on her. first, she had to convince her wedding planner that it was okay she was delaying the ceremony by a few minutes and swore her to secrecy. next, when zadie came up to her and found out what she was doing, willingly offered to mess with raleigh’s head and tell him that cadence was reconsidering. finally, by the time fiona came out to check on her, cadence knew she couldn’t delay any longer.

“he is about 10 seconds away from running out here in a panic thanks to zadie,” fiona warned, but cadence could tell she was enjoying this too.

“fine, fine, let’s get going, then,” cadence said, rolling her eyes. she walked up to the archway with her father and waited for the music to start before stepping forward.

all mischievous thoughts instantly vanished when she saw her husband-to-be waiting for her at the end of the aisle. cadence barely registered the faces of her friends and family around her as she walked toward the love of her life, and when she was a few steps away, noticed how vulnerable he looked. she immediately felt a pang of guilt for freaking him out, but pushed it aside to marvel at the wondrous look in his eyes as he lifted her veil and took in her appearance.

it wasn’t until after their vows were said and they were walking back down the aisle as _mr. and mrs. carrera_ that raleigh leaned in so that only cadence could hear him say, “you almost gave me a heart attack – can we call a truce so i never have to worry about that again?”

cadence laughed and gave his arm a squeeze. “truce.”

_2 months later_

“raleigh, i officially win!” cadence said triumphantly, holding out a white stick. “my period is late.”

“what?” radence just looked at her, dumbfounded. she handed the stick to him and he noticed that it had two pink lines. even _he_ knew what that meant.

“are you seriously telling me that we’re having a kid by announcing it as part of our stupid competition? didn’t we call a truce?”

cadence beamed and raleigh laughed. “yep, but this _definitely_ makes me the official winner. you’re going to be a daddy and there is no way you can beat this one and you shouldn’t even try if you know what’s good for you.”

raleigh wrapped cadence up in his arms and twirled her around. “alright, you win. i love you.”

_8 months later_

cadence squeezed raleigh’s hand as another contraction hit; she barely registered the gasp of pain he released as he tried to pull his hand from her grip, without success.

“why won’t you come out?! you’re already a week late. please, please come out already!” cadence begged her swollen belly.

“ow, cadence! i love you, but you’re definitely going to break my guitar hand,” raleigh grimaced, pulling his hand from hers and massaging it.

cadence gave him a murderous glare. “this is your fault, carrera. karma for that stupid competition and _you’re_ not the one trying to push a human being out of their body so i don’t want to hear another complaint or so help me, i’ll—augh!” cadence reached out and grabbed raleigh’s arm as another contraction ripped through her.

a _long_ 11 hours later, cadence and raleigh looked on in awe at the tiny bundled human in her arms.

“hi baby girl, we love you _so_ much already,” she murmured, her voice thick with emotion.

raleigh kissed cadence’s forehead and shifted so he could sit on the bed and put his arm around her. “i didn’t think it was possible to love something _this_ much,” he agreed softly. “she sure took her sweet time getting here and put her mommy through hell.”

“i think that means she’s probably going to have a rebellious streak like her father,” cadence joked, watching her infant daughter sleep.

“we might have a new winner on our hands, if you’re ready to pass on your crown,” raleigh said, gently taking the bundle from cadence and holding her in the crook of his arm.

cadence laughed softly. “i think you’re right. she wins.”

**Author's Note:**

> i appreciate any comments you may have - to find this on tumblr, feel free to check out my writing/art reblogs @homeformyheart.


End file.
